Quote:
Originally Posted by Divemaster
The US flags carried by the protesters were for the march to the US consulate; the only peaceful protest event of the day. Tens of thousands attended. The protesters are appealing to the the US Congress to pass legislation (Hong Kong Human Rights Act) that, roughly speaking, will punish Hong Kong and China for adversely impacting "basic freedoms" Hong Kongers currently experience. In Macau, another Special Administrative Region (SAR), any protests are quickly put down.
The violence and property destruction has targeted the LegCo Building, police, and the MTR. Private businesses have been left alone. However, the retail, hospitality, and travel industries have taken some big hits over the past 14 weeks.
None of the protesters five demands are economic.
1. Complete withdrawal of the extradition bill.
2. Reverse the riot declaration of the protests, specifically the one on 12 June.
3. Unconditional release of all arrested protesters.
4. Independent inquiry into violence by the police against protesters.
5. Universal suffrage.
That Carrie Lam gave in on the first demand finally is kind of a joke as had she done so months ago, prior to the other four demands being made, this could have been defused.
Keep your eyes on events between now and 01 October, the 70th anniversary of the PRC's founding. Many think that Beijing won't tolerate unrest in the streets on such a big day for the CPC. Xi is already under pressure internally for not taking decisive action thus far.
|
What are your thoughts with how this plays out?
I’m hopeful there is a competent resourced small team offering the HK protest movement effective arms length and non attritbutable support.
I’ve been following Joshua Wong for a few years now.
He seems like a really sharp and passionate young man with the highest percentage of sympathetic and active peers in known protest history.
I’m thinking the economic depth and the techno-authoritarian breadth of China means this protest movement is far more likely to end like Hungary in 56 or Czechoslovakia in 68 than Poland or the Baltics in 89.
But I’m also aware that Soviet Cold War comparison to current Chinese optionality is oversimplistic and risky.
Perhaps more considered and cautious fascism would be a better comparison. A less bombastic, more conservative, kinder/gentler Hitler/Mussolini more willing to listen to professional advice.
I’d really like to find a solid long term China hand source to read.
Someone with 30+ years worth of hands on observation with perspective on 1989 Tiananmen, the tectonic change since, and what’s happening now.
My classmates from Mainland China a few years back were guarded but opened up a little bit over time. I was left with the distinct sense that China is a cowboy culture economically, not too unlike how the US economic engine really kicked into high gear a hundred years ago.
But I also got the sense that the Chinese government’s power and control is based entirely on its ability to continue delivering the Chinese version of the American Dream.
It sounded like failure of China’s Communist Party to continuously deliver on that economic dream is a potentially critical vulnerability.